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AT&T Mobility head Ralph de la Vega sought Wednesday to tamp down media speculation that the carrier was considering plans to implement a tiered pricing structure based on data usage. He also reiterated
a previous comment that AT&T will offer subscribers incentives to cut back on using its network for Internet browsing or downloading applications. AT&T also said that it had began launching 3G service on a rolling basis across Vermont.

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Fans at Monday night's college football championship sent and received nearly 5 terabytes of data via the stadium's Wi-Fi network and an additional 1.4 terabytes over AT&T's cell network, the carrier said, calling it a record for a sporting event. AT&T termed the amount the equivalent of 18 million social media posts with photos attached. The figures do not include data sent over other carriers' networks.

AT&T asked a federal judge on Monday to deny Sprint Nextel and Cellular South access to confidential data that it supplied the U.S. Justice Department in connection with its attempt to buy T-Mobile USA. In a filing, AT&T said its rivals were working with the DOJ in hopes of gaining "special privileges" in their own lawsuit to block the deal. AT&T said the government wanted to piggyback its case on the work of the privately funded carriers.

AT&T said Thursday that developers were working on technology that would link wireless devices to a broad array of consumer-electronics products, a move that could lead to changes in how the carrier charges for connectivity, from a straight flat monthly fee to offering more per-use options. At the CTIA Wireless®: conference, AT&T also disclosed the formation of an Apps Beta program that will enable the company to receive user reactions before they launch applications.

AT&T would be open to selling handsets equipped with free digital-TV broadcast signals, if a valid business model could be mapped out, according to Ralph de la Vega, the head of its Mobility and Consumer Markets unit. AT&T and Verizon Wireless carry phones with Qualcomm's rival MediaFLO TV service that costs $15 a month, but de la Vega said "we'll look at it, and if it's something customers want and if it's a good way to monetize our business," the carrier would consider adding the service.

AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said the company was willing to restructure its deal with Apple for its iPhone rights because he felt "in order to drive more volume, and have more penetration of the device, we had to change the model." The new contract has a more traditional industry arrangement between the companies, but AT&T acknowledged Monday that the new pricing will crimp profits over the next two years.